Lights for a 72g tank?

[Guygettnby]

Do you think that 2 250w halides and 4 54w t5's is too much light for a 72g bow front tank that is only 22 or 23 in deep with the light being about 4in from the water?

Kind of worried that would be way too much light. What do you think?

I'm going to be keeping all different kinds of corals, clams and nems. I am a real big Zoa fan though.

 

[Guygettnby]

anybody?

 

[Playa-1]

I don't think it's too much light but the footprint is tight on the 72. Be sure and double check the dimensions of the light vs the footprint of the tank and/or canopy.

 

[Guygettnby]

yea, it will be very close fit. i double checked and it should fit fine depending on how i mount the light to the tank. might have to modify the legs or retrofit it into my canapoy instead.

i was just worried it would be too much light for that tank. i would think 2 150w halides would probably work better for me.

 

[Donkeykong]

couple of points I would like to mention, this might not be to much light especially for the clams and SPS, but you will have to watch placement of softies and lower light LPS like chalices and scolys,

I am assuming you are putting this inside of some sort of canopy as you state it will be 4 inches above the water. with halides only 4 inches off the water a lot of heat will be transfered to the water, A LOT. With only 4 inches worth of air even several fans mounted on the sides of the canopy are going to have a hard time keeping it cool, so I would plan on running a chiller.

If you haven't already purchased the lights and are stuck inside the 4 inch canopy I would suggest looking into T5's as it will be significantly less heat and power used. A good 6 bulb ATI fixture would grow just about anything in a 72g tank. I would also suggest looking into LED's if you want to lower the heat and energy consumption even more, but LED's have high up front cost comparatively.

 

[Guygettnby]

LED,s are out as of right now. they are still too costly and i like the shimmer effect you get from a MH bulb. T5's would be a option, but that is what i have in the canopy right now and im not happy with them.

i have always had some sort of MH fixture except the one time i tried to use PC lights and went back to halides.

i am not stuck using the canopy though. so i could always set the fixture on the tank if it is within the right size. bow front tanks are harder to find lights for because how the ends are only 13in... but if i stick the light over the tank on legs then it will be 2-3in from the water depending on the fixture. but i am sure i could always mod it some how to raise the light.

i had also thought about only using 2 250w halides and leaving out the T5's or even PC's wich would be used for strictly atinics or color enhancing.

if i dont use the canopy then it will help with the heat some, plus i can add some fans blowing under the fixture across the top of the water. i have never had a heat issue with a tank before. but i have never attempted to add this much light to a tank this small.

 

[Donkeykong]

What T5's are you running now and why arent you happy with them? If shimmer is all you are looking for you can add one or two Ecoxotic LED stunner strips that will help make the color of the corals really pop as well as give you a bit of the shimmer effect. If you are open to dropping the canopy would you be willing to hang your lights? You could get your lights up to a good height which would give you better spread of the light as well as significantly reduce the heat issue And trust me with that much light in that short a canopy on that size tank you are going to have heat issues unless you live in a very cold part of the world..

 

[Guygettnby]

So do you think I should consider just using 2 250w halides and nothing else?

 

[grigsy]

No, I dont think 2 x 250 watt and 4-T5s will be too much light for that tank.

It will be great for growth especially if you plan to keep SPS.

 

[allsps40]

I run 2 250s over my 75G and I feel it could use 2-4 T5s as well to really bring my coral's colors out even more.

 

[Guygettnby]

I run 2 250s over my 75G and I feel it could use 2-4 T5s as well to really bring my coral's colors out even more.

Do you have any heat issues? How far from the water are your lights?